UC-NRLF 


711 


DIRECTORS'  REPORT 


OF     THE 


lOregonl^tatejBureau  of  Mines 


TO    TH» 


Twenty-seventh  Regular  Assembly 
Oregon  Legislature 


For  the  Biennium 

1911-1912 


SALEM,    OREGON 

WILLIS   S.   DUNIWAY,  STATE  PRINTER 
1913 


DIRECTORS'  REPORT 


OF     THE 


Oregon  State  Bureau  of  Mines 


TO     TKE 


Twenty-seventh  Regular  Assembly 
Oregon   Legislature 


For  the  Biennium 

1911-1912 


SALEM,    OREGON 

WILLIS    S.    DUNIWAY,    STATE   PRINTER 
1913 


LETTER   OF  TRANSMITTAL 


OFFICE  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  MINES, 

Corvallis,   Oregon,  Jan.   1,   1913. 

To  the  Honorable  Osivald  West,  Governor  of  Oregon,  and  to 

the  Honorable  Members  of  the  Oregon  Legislature: 
SIRS:— 

I  have  the  honor  to  submit  herewith  for  your  consideration 
the  biennial  report  of  the  Oregon  State  Bureau  of  Mines  for  the 
years  1911  and  1912.  The  report  refers  -to  the  organization, 
field  work,  and  other  activities  of  the  Bureau,  together  with 
what  the  Director  believes  to  be  the  present  needs  of  the 
Bureau. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be 

Your  obedient  servant, 

HENRY  M.  PARKS, 

Director. 


9654^9 


REPORT 


At  the  Twenty-Sixth  (1911)  Regular  Session  of  the  Oregon 
Legislature,  House  Bill  No.  207  was  passed  creating  the  State 
Bureau  of  Mines,  a  copy  of  which  law  w:lKhe:foujud  appeiided 
to  this  report. 

The  Director  believes  that  the  action  of  the 'Lewis' at -ire  til 
limiting  the  appropriation  to  a  nominal  arriouht  at  the  begin- 
ning was  a  wise  one.  When  large  appropriations  are  made 
at  once  for  work  of  a  new  character  much  money  is  often 
wasted  in  the  haste  to  be  doing  before  the  proper  field  of 
endeavor  has  been  carefully  and  thoughtfully  limited.  Although 
the  purpose  and  field  of  the  State  Bureau  of  Mines  was  quite 
well  defined  in  the  minds  of  those  in  charge  of  the  Bureau, 
yet  the  experience  of  the  past  two  years  has  taught  them 
many  things ;  we  can  now  say  with  confidence  that  the  Legis- 
lature used  excellent  judgment  in  keeping  the  appropriation 
for  the  first  biennium  to  a  small  sum  to  insure  a  proper 
organization,  a  careful  study  of  the  field  and  scope  the  Bureau 
should  occupy,  and  a  true  conception  of  the  right  way  to  have 
this  information  reach  all  those  who  might  use  it  to  advantage 
in  the  upbuilding  of  our  State.  Because  of  this  the  money 
spent  in  the  field  was  largely  for  the  purpose  of  getting 
acquainted  with  our  economic  needs  and  carrying  out  what 
we  conceived  to  be  the  intent  of  the  Legislature.  This  the 
Director  feels  has  now  been  accomplished  within  the  given 
time. 

We  found  that  the  objects  and  duties  of  the  Bureau  as 
defined  by  the  present  law  were  all  important  divisions  of 
the  work,  but  upon  careful  investigation  of  the  needs  of  the 
State  from  an  economic  standpoint,  it  would  seem  advisable 
that  the  Bureau  hasten  its  work  along  certain  special  lines. 

NEED  FOR  CLAY  INVESTIGATION. 

Among  the  important  geological  products  of  the  State 
which  should  be  rapidly  developed,  the  ceramic  industry  is 
one  which  in  our  opinion  should  receive  State  attention.  In 
the  modern  sense  of  the  word  this  term  is  now  generally 
applied  to  the  technology  of  the  earthy  and  nonmetallic  min- 
erals and  hence  embraces  the  so-called  silicate  industries  which 


6  REPORT  OF  OREGON  STATE  BUREAU  OF  MINES. 

deal  with  the  manufacture  of  all  kinds  of  clay  products,  glass, 
cement,  lime,  plaster,  etc.  The  great  economic  significance  of 
these  industries  consist  in  the  fact  that  their  raw  materials 
are  practically  inexhaustible,  having  little  intrinsic  value 
except  when  made  up  into  ceramic  products.  The  use  of  the 
clays,  limestone,  sandstone,  etc.,  does  not  diminish  the  natural 
resources  of  the  State  but  increases  the  wealth  of  the  people. 
Owing  to  the  replacement  of  lumber  by  other  structural 
materials  the  manufacture  of  these  materials  is  increasing  at 
a  rapid  rate.  The  annual  output  of  the  clay  products  in  Ore- 
gon is  valued  in  round  numbers  at  $1,000,000.  We  estimate 
tne  value  oi:  these  products,  domestic  and  imported  into  the  State 
from  other  states  and  countries  at  $5,000,000  annually.  The 
natural  result  of  such  a  condition  between  supply  and  demand 
is  that  the  State  of  Oregon  is  paying  an  exorbitant  price  for 
such  structural  materials.  A  very  large  factor  in  this  exorbi- 
tant price  is  transportation  from  other  states  and  countries. 
Pressed  brick,  for  example,  of  the  quality  used  in  the  Mult- 
nomah  Hotel  in  Portland  costs  $16  per  thousand  in  the  Middle 
States  as  compared  with  $27  per  thousand  in  Oregon.  The 
same  proportional  difference  in  wholesale  price  will  be  found 
in  all  the  clay,  products  such  as  common  brick,  dry  pressed 
brick,  drain  tile,  sewer  pipe,  terra  cotta,  sanitary  ware,  etc. 
Oregon  has  an  abundance  of  surface  clays  suitable  for  the 
manufacture  of  common  brick,  dry  pressed  brick,  drain  tile, 
building  and  paving  brick,  sewer  pipe,  etc.,  and  with  a  little 
systematic  search  we  have  no  doubt  that  materials  could  be 
found  in  a  number  of  localities  in  the  State  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  the  highest  grade  front  brick,  fire  brick,  enameled 
brick,  glazed  ware,  stoneware  for  household,  technical  and 
chemical  use,  electrical  insulators,  sanitary  ware  and  high 
grade  architectural  terra-cotta,  floor  tiles,  etc.  Nearly  all  of 
these  last  named  products  are  shipped  into  the  State  from  long 
distances  making  the  cost  of  the  same  more  than  double  what 
they  are  in  Eastern  States.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  almost 
every  individual  in  the  State  is  paying  a  tax  ranging  from 
20  to  50  per  cent  of  the  cost  of  such  products,  the  consumption 
of  which  we  have  already  shown  to  be  $5,000,000  annually. 

It  might  appear  from  the  foregoing  statements  that  we  were 
implying  that  the  clay  manufacturer  is  realizing  great  profits 
from  his  sales.  This  we  do  not  believe.  But  rather  that  under 
the  present  adverse  conditions  the  expenses  of  manufacturing 
are  so  high  that  even  writh  the  high  prices  obtained  the  manu- 
facturer is  struggling  to  make  a  profit.  Each  separate  plant, 
whether  small  or  large,  must  make  its  own  investigations  of 


REPORT  OF  OREGON  STATE  BUREAU  OF  MINES.  7 

the  clay  banks  in  any  locality,  at  best  quite  fragmentary  and 
incomplete  even  with  those  companies  having  considerable 
means.  How  much  more  true  is  this  with  those  possessing 
insufficient  funds  to  properly  inaugurate  an  enterprise.  A 
choice  of  poor  materials  together  with  improper  methods  of 
preparing  and  burning  often  cause  a  rejection  of  over  half  the 
product  of  a  kiln.  A  piecemeal  addition  to  the  plant  without 
the  proper  planning  of  the  mechanical  handling  increases  the 
manual  labor  required,  the  largest  cost  factor  in  the  industry. 
All  of  these  increased  costs  together  with  the  fixed  expenses 
in  connection  with  the  industry  must,  of  course,  be  paid  by  the 
consumer.  If  the  manufacturer  could,  however,  co-operate 
with  the  Bureau  in  the  investigation  of  his  deposits  and  increase 
the  efficiency  of  his  plant  the  result  would  be  not  only  a  ma- 
terial reduction  in  the  price  of  the  commodity  but  greater  pro- 
fits to  the  manufacturer  due  to  increased  sales  because  certain 
fixed  expenses  must  be  met  whether  the  sales  are  large  or  small. 
A  pleasing  result  which  would  -  follow  these  improved  con- 
ditions would  soon  manifest  itself  in  our  towns  and  cities  by  a 
more  permanent  class  of  building. 

Dr.  Withycombe,  Director  of  the  Experiment  Station  of 
the  Oregon  Agricultural  College,  is  authority  for  the  statement 
that  there  are  4,000,000  acres  of  land  in  Western  Oregon  which 
if  properly  drained  with  tile,  would  produce  double  the  crop 
that  they  now  produce.  This  will  cost  about  $20  per  acre  but 
will  be  returned  to  the  owner  in  increased  crops  within  five 
years,  adding  by  this  means  alone  to  the  agricultural  produc- 
tion of  the  valley  more  than  twenty-five  millions  every  year. 
This  will  never  be  done  in  the  Willamette  Valley  if  the  drain 
tile  has  to  be  imported.  In  order  to  accomplish  it  the  tile  must 
be  manufactured  in  every  locality.  Oregon  could  encourage 
this  thriving  condition  in  no  better  way  than  to  make  a  care- 
ful investigation  of  the  clays  in  the  Willamette  Valley  and 
determine  the  locality  of  the  deposits  best  suited  for  the  manu- 
facture of  the  different  clay  products. 

INFORMATION  WANTED  CONCERNING  OREGON'S  CEMENT 
MATERIALS. 

The  cement  situation  in  the  State  presents  even  a  more 
appalling  condition.  It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  Oregon  has 
never  manufactured  a  barrel  of  Portland  cement.  We  have  not 
been  able  to  get  very  accurate  estimates  of  the  amount  of  Port- 
land cement  consumed  in  the  State  of  Oregon  but  it  is  accur- 
ately estimated  that  in  1910  there  were  1,500,000  barrels  of 
Portland  cement  shipped  into  the  City  of  Portland  alone.  The 


8  REPORT  OF  OREGON  STATE  BUREAU  OF  MINES. 

wholesale  price  in  this  city  averaged  about  $2.00  per  barrel 
during  that  year.  The  average  wholesale  price  during  the  same 
year  in  the  United  States  was  84  cents.  The  average  price  on 
the  Pacific  Coast  was  $1.40.  There  are  at  the  present  time 
eleven  large  cement  mills  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  eight  in  Cali- 
fornia and  three  in  Washington.  No  one  will  deny  the  fact 
that  these  manufactories  were  established  largely  under  the 
influence  of  the  efficient  Bureau  of  Mines  of  California  and 
the  State  Geological  Survey  of  Washington.  Note  that  the 
average  price  at  the  mills  on  the  Pacific  Coast  is  $1.40  as 
compared  with  84  cents  ,  the  average  price  in  the  United  States. 
This  points  conclusively  to  the  fact  that  the  Portland  cement 
mills  on  the  Pacific  Coast  are  not  supplying  the  local  demand 
but  are  getting  middle  state  prices  plus  freight  transportation. 
Note  also  that  Oregon's  wholesale  price  ranges  from  $2.00 
per  barrel  in  Portland  to  $3.90  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State. 
Thus  we  are  paying  Washington  and  California  prices  plus 
an  additional  transportation  tax. 

Portland  cement  is  a  commodity  weighing  380  pounds  to  the 
barrel  and  cannot  be  shipped  any  great  distance  from  the  manu- 
facturing point  as  was  the  case  in  the  earlier  days  of  the 
industry.  We  refuse  to  admit  that  "Mother  Nature"  has  so 
discriminated  against  the  State  of  Oregon  as  to  place  all  of 
the  cement  materials  on  the  Pocific  Coast  in  California  and 
Washington.  Without  doubt  Oregon  has  a  number  of  localities 
in  which  good  cement  materials  can  be  found.  No  detailed 
investigation  has  been  made  to  determine  the  extent  and  nature 
of  these  deposits.  Let  us  suppose  that  Oregon  is  able  to 
investigate  her  cement  materials  within  the  next  five  years  and 
should  be  the  means  of  inducing  capital  to  locate  three  or 
four  large  producing  cement  plants  in  the  State  and  thus  reduce 
the  wholesale  price  to  the  present  average  on  the  Pacific 
Coast,  it  would  save  to  the  State  $900,000  annually  on  our 
present  consumption.  As  you  will  see  later  in  this  report  we 
are  going  to  ask  for  an  annual  appropriation,  for  carrying 
on  the  entire  work  of  the  Bureau  of  Mines,  of  $25,000  annually. 
This  will  be  less  than  three  per  cent  of  the  amount  which  will 
have  been  saved  to  the  consumer  on  the  one  item  of  cement. 

With  the  exceedingly  cheap  fuel  oil  which  can  be  had  now 
from  California  the  manufacture  of  these  ceramic  products 
should  be  very  materially  stimulated  on  the  Pacific  Coast, 
within  the  next  few  years,  and  there  is  no  good  reason  why  the. 
cost  of  production  of  these  products  should  be  materially  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  the  middle  west  states. 

There  is  no  good  reason  why  Oregon  should  not  produce  all 
of  the  lime  which  she  uses.  The  production  in  the  State  in  1910 


REPORT  OF  OREGON  STATE  BUREAU  OF  MINES.  9 

was  only  6,742  tons.  We  have  not  available  the  accurate 
statistics  as  to  consumption  in  the  same  year  but  without 
question  it  was  very  many  times  this  figure  of  production. 
Note  also  that  the  average  price  received  at  the  lime  kilns 
in  Oregon  is  $9.65  per  ton  as  compared  with  an  average  price 
at  the  lime  kilns  in  the  United  States  of  $3.99.  The  price  of 
lime  in  Oregon  in  1910  was  higher  than  any  other  state  except 
Wyoming  where  the  price  was  $12.47,  that  state  producing 
only  143  tons. 

BUILDING  STONE  AND  ROAD  MATERIALS. 

The  building  stone  industry  in  Oregon  is  one  that  has  been 
sadly  neglected.  The  State  has  without  question  unlimited 
resources  along  this  line  but  as  long  as  the  State  refuses  to 
find  out  the  extent  and  character  of  the  same,  just  that  long 
will  our  architects  in  all  parts  of  the  State  specify  foreign 
stone.  Nearly  all  of  the  dimension  and  monumental  stone  used 
in  the  State  is  at  the  present  time  imported.  A  very  large 
quantity  of  building  stone  is  imported  from  as1  far  east  as 
Bedford,  Indiana,  thus  evidently  making  the  cost  of  the  same 
enormous. 

The  Mining  Department  of  the  Oregon  Agricultural  College 
in  1910  made  a  hurried  survey  of  the  Willamette  Valley  to 
determine  the  location  of  important  deposits  of  road  material, 
the  only  work  of  this  kind  ever  made  in  the  State.  This  investi- 
gation should  be  continued  throughout  the  State  and  include 
not  only  road  materials  but  all  kinds  of  building  and  structural 
materials.  The  Oregon  Granite  Company  at  Medford  has 
developed  a  granite  quarry  in  that  section,  the  quality  of  which 
product  is  as  good  as  the  best  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  a  large 
number  of  other  localities  in  the  State  have  equally  as  good 
materials  including  granite,  sandstone,  limestone,  etc.  It  is 
very  probable  that  a  good  ornamental  stone  industry  could  be 
developed  in  Southern  Oregon  in  the  large  serpentine  deposits. 

The  coal  production  of  the  State  is  confined  to  a  small  area 
in  Coos  County.  It  is  known  that  there  are  coal  beds  and  good 
indications  in  a  number  of  other  sections  of  the  State  which 
if  investigated  in  detail  might  be  the  means  of  extending 
the  producing  field  to  other  areas. 

When  the  structural  geology  of  our  State  is  as  well  worked 
out  as  it  is  in  California  it  is  quite  possible  that  sufficient  data 
may  be  available  for  finding  petroleum  and  natural  gas.  It  is 
a  well  known  fact  that  the  same  stratigraphic  conditions  are 
found  over  large  areas  in  Oregon  that  produce  the  oil  and  gas 
in  Southern  California,  so  that  investigation  along  these  lines 
might  easily  be  a  fruitful  field. 


10  REPORT  OF  OREGON  STATE  BUREAU  OF  MINES. 


It  is  the  unanimous  opinion  of  mining  men  all  over  the 
State  that  the  fragmentary  work  which  has  been  done  by  the 
United  States  Geological  Survey  in  past  years  is  of  inestimable 
value  in  assisting  the  practical  miner  in  determining  the  likely 
fields  in  which  to  prospect  as  well  as  aiding  materially  in  the 
development  of  important  mines.  Such  an  economic  geological 
survey  should  be  continued  all  through  the  metal  mining  areas 
of  the  State  at  the  earliest  possible  date. 

In  each  metal  mining  locality  there  exists  large  quantities 
of  comparatively  low  grade  gold,  silver  and  copper  deposits 
which  would  add  very  materially  to  the  wealth  of  the  State  if 
they  were  developed.  We  do  not  believe  it  to  be  a  State's  busi- 
ness to  develop  these  deposits  but  rather  to  make  a  study  of 
them  in  each  district  and  find  out  the  best  methods  of  treatment 
for  these  low  grade  ores  and  make  this  information  public 
property.  The  science  of  ore  dressing  and  metallurgy  has  made 
such  rapid  strides  in  the  past  few  years  that  .the  practical  miner 
is  quite  unable  to  avail  himself  of  this  information,  partly 
because  he  does  not  keep  closely  in  touch  with  developments 
along  these  lines,  and  secondly  because  he  usually  lacks  the 
scientific  training  which  will  enable  him  to  grasp  the  situation. 

OREGON'S  MINERAL  RESOURCES  AT  PANAMA  EXPOSITION. 

The  State  of  Oregon  will  without  doubt  spend  several  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  in  displaying  her  resources  at  the  San 
Francisco  Exposition  in  1915.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  min- 
eral industries  of  the  State  will  not  be  slighted  in  this  exhibit. 
If  Oregon  is  going  to  do  her  mineral  industries  justice  at  this 
exposition  it  will  mean  that  the  work  of  preparing  such  an 
exhibit  must  be  begun  at  an  early  date.  The  display  of  the 
agricultural  products  must  necessarily  be  collected  during  the 
years  1914-15  but  it  will  require  much  more  time  than  that 
to  get  an  intelligent  display  of  mineral  and  geological  material. 
This  is  true,  first,  because  so  few  are  available  who  are  equipped 
to  do  this  sort  of  work  and  secondly,  because,  a  considerable 
amount  of  investigation  must  necessarily  be  done  before  such 
information  is  available.  A  mineral  display  at  such  an 
exposition  is  usually  little  more  than  a  mineralogical  curiosity. 
To  be  of  real  service  to  the  State  such  an  exhibit  should  be 
prepared  showing  not  only  the  material  but  the  extent  of  the 
deposit,  the  value  of  the  deposit,  the  relation  to  transportation, 
and  best  methods  of  utilizing  the  same.  An  exhibit  prepared 
in  this  way  would  certainly  be  unique  and  would  be  the  means 
of  attracting  capital  and  thus  assist  materially  in  the  develop- 
ment of  our  State's  mineral  resources. 


REPORT  OF  OREGON  STATE  BUREAU  OF  MINES.  11 


It  will  be  seen  in  the  above  discussion  that  we  believe  the 
Bureau  should  at  once  begin  separate  investigations  along  the 
lines  of  clays  and  cement  materials,  coal,  oil  and  gas,  fertilizers 
and  the  mineral  salts  of  the  south  central  portion  of  our  State. 
At  the  same  time  work  should  be  prosecuted  as  fast  as  it  may 
be  along  the  line  of  the  precious  and  base  metals  of  the  State 
and  the  investigation  of  road  making  materials  and  building 
stone  should  be  continued. 

In  addition  to  the  requirements  of  the  present  law  we  believe 
that  statistics  of  consumption  of  geologic  products  in  the  State 
to  be  of  greater  importance  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  State  than 
statistics  of  production  which  we  now  collect.  The  first  ques- 
tion that  the  prospective  manufacturer  asks  is  "Have  you  a 
market"  and  second  "Have  you  the  material."  He  is  not  inter- 
ested in  the  question  whether  or  not  you  have  a  deposit  of  the 
raw  materials  if  there  is  no  market  after  it  has  been  manu- 
factured. We  have  no  means  at  the  present  time  of  securing 
this  information.  The  director  is  already  deluged  with  ques- 
tions as  to  information  on  the  market  as  well  as  the  location, 
quantity  and  quality  of  raw  materials. 

The  consumption  in  the  State  at  the  present  time  is  more 
than  four  times  its  present  production  but  by  a  moderate  cheap- 
ening in  the  general  average  of  prices  of  such  such  materials 
by  home  manufacture  the  consumption  would  be  vastly  in- 
creased. This  home  manufacture  would  make  a  saving  to  every 
individual,  its  great  army  of  employees  at  good  wages,  would 
create  the  best  kind  of  a  market  for  agricultural  and  other 
products,  thus  creating  a  healthier  tone  throughout  the  entire 
commerce  of  the  State. 

The  above  as  far  as  the  general  work  of  the  Bureau  is  con- 
cerned we  believe  to  be  the  field  for  investigation. 

WHAT  SHOULD  BE  THE  IMPORTANT  WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU 

OF   MINES? 

Unfortunately  it  is  the  opinion  of  a  considerable  number 
of  our  citizens  that  a  Bureau  of  Mines  is  simply  a  subsidiary 
and  fractional  part  of  a  mining  school,  the  main  purpose  of 
which  is  to  provide  a  convenient  medium  whereby  the  public 
can  send  in  all  kinds  of  samples  of  material  obtaining  a  con- 
siderable quantity  of  free  assaying  and  chemical  analyses. 
Manifestly  this  cannot  be  the  main  purpose  of  a  Bureau  of  this 
kind  in  order  to  be  of  the  greatest  benefit  to  the  mineral  and 
geological  industries  of  the  State.  The  imperative  need  of 
our  State  is  definite  information  with  reference  to  our  unde- 


12      REPORT  OF  OREGON  STATE  BUREAU  OF  MINES. 


veloped  geological  and  mineral  resources.  This  can  be  obtained 
only  by  careful  and  continual  field  examinations,  not  by  novices, 
nor  by  bone  diggers,  nor  graduates  fresh  from  mining  and 
geological  departments,  but  by  men  well  versed  in  the  funda- 
mental sciences  whose  experiences  in  the  actual  field  of 
endeavor  has  been  so  extensive  that  the  public  can  have  no 
reason  whatever  to  doubt  the  accuracy  and  authenticity  of  any 
report  they  may  make.  The  value  of  a  determination  depends 
very  largely  upon  the  manner  of  taking  the  sample.  An  accur- 
ate analysis  is  of  little  value  with  an  inaccurately  taken  sample. 
Unless  the  sample  represents  some  considerable  amount  of  the 
deposit  it  has  little  meaning.  This  information  can  only  be 
secured  by  careful  field  examination  where  the  sample  is  taken 
by  one  who  understands  these  things  and  can  correctly  inter- 
pret the  conditions. 

BULLETINS   PUBLISHED. 

The  Department  of  Mining  Engineering  and  Geology  of  the 
Oregon  Agricultural  College  in  the  year  1910  made  investiga- 
tions of  the  road  materials  in  the  Willamette  Valley  and  pub- 
lished a  bulletin  on  the  same  in  January,  1911.  Seven  quarries 
were  located  the  first  season  as  a  result  of  its  publication.  The 
demand  for  the  bulletin  far  exceeded  our  expectations  and  a 
second  edition  of  the  same  seemed  imperative.  Since  the 
Bureau  of  Mines  had  been  given  the  responsibility  for  the 
investigation  of  all  road  materials  the  Bureau  has  assumed  the 
expense  of  publishing  a  second  edition  of  3,000  copies. 

In  common  with  the  practice  of  other  states  the  State 
Bureau  of  Mines  has  made  co-operative  arrangements  with  the 
United  States  Geological  Survey  whereby  the  annual  mineral 
statistics  of  the  State  are  collected.  It  wa,s  deemed  advisable 
since  no  such  bulletin  had  heretofore  been  issued,  notwith- 
standing the  limited  funds  available,  that  the  Bureau  should 
publish  a  bulletin  dealing  with  the  discussion  of  each  of  the 
mineral  products  of  importance  in  the  State  together  with 
suggestions  as  to  future  possibilities.  The  bulletin  contain- 
ing this  information  is  entitled  'The  Economic  Mineral 
Resources  of  Oregon/'  The  information  contained  therein 
was  secured  by  means  of  field  trips  and  from  the  information 
coming  from  the  producers  into  this  office  under  the  terms 
of  the  contract  with  the  United  State  Geological  Survey.  This 
information  is  later  sent  on  to  Washington. 

The  custom  of  the  Federal  Government  and  many  State 
surveys  is  to  make  a  thorough  and  exhaustive  investigation 


REPORT   OF   OREGON   STATE   BUREAU   OF   MINES.  13 


of  a  certain  portion  of  their  domain,  either  including  all  of 
their  deposits  or  some  certain  deposit  following  which  investi- 
gation is  a  more  or  less  extended  period  when  the  investigator 
digests'  the  information  obtained  in  the  field.  Exhaustive  and 
refined  determinations  of  samples  and  material  collected  in 
the  field  are  made,  very  high  grade  maps  are  engraved  and 
tables  computed.  After  a  period  of  one  or  two  or  five  years, 
sometimes  longer,  reports  are  published,  long  after  the  live 
interest  of  the  public  has  died  away.  This  we  believe  to  be  a 
wrong  policy.  We  think  that  the  field  work  of  the  Bureau 
should  proceed  upon  an  orderly  plan  along  some  certain  line 
of  investigation  in  a  certain  field  and  that  as  soon  as  a  con- 
clusion can  be  properly  reached  upon  any  part  of  the  work  the 
public  should  have  this  information  promptly  in  as  clear  and 
simple  a  way  with  as  few  technical  expressions  as  the  sub- 
ject will  permit.  To  this  end  we  would  recommend  that  the 
Bureau  keep  the  public  informed  through  the  press  of  the 
State  of  any  new  developments  while  an  investigation  is  going 
on  and  that  preliminary  bulletins  be  issued  at  frequent  inter- 
vals for  distribution  to  the  interested  public. 

A  summary  of  the  expenses  of  the  Bureau  for  the  biennial 
period  1911-1912  is  as  follows: 

Printing  expenses $  931.64 

Laboratory  supplies  and  expenses 216.34 

Traveling  expenses   511.88 

Office  supplies  and  expenses  340.14 


Total $2,000.00 

Requisitions  approved  by  the  President  of  the  Oregon  Agri- 
cultural College  with  itemized  statements  of  expenditures  are 
on  file  in  the  business  office  of  the  College. 

COLLEGE  EQUIPMENT  AVAILABLE  FOR  WORK  OF  BUREAU. 

The  law  creating  the  Bureau  in  making  the  head  of  the 
Mining  Department  ex  officio  director  of  the  Bureau  simplified 
the  work  of  organization,  since  that  department  had  been 
performing  this  function  for  some  time  for  the  good  of  the 
State  though  seriously  handicapped  by  having  neither  funds 
nor  adequate  quarters  to  carry  on  this  work.  The  Bureau  was 
fortunate  at  the  time  of  its  creation  in  that  at  the  same  session 
the  appropriation  was  made  for  the  Mines  building.  The 
President  and  Board  of  Regents  of  the  College  approved  the 


14  REPORT  OF  OREGON  STATE  BUREAU  OF  MINES. 

plans  of  the  new  Mines  Building,  which  we  now  occupy,  setting 
aside  considerable  floor  space  for  the  exclusive  use  of  the 
Bureau  of  Mines  for  offices  and  its  own  laboratories.  They 
even  recommended  paying  largely  for  its  equipment  which  the 
meager  appropriation  for  the  Bureau  would  not  allow.  The 
Bureau  of  Mines  laboratory  occupies  one-quarter  of  the  second 
floor  of  the  Mines  Building  and  is  equipped  with  chemical 
desks,  hoods,  and  filing  cabinets  and  other  useful  furniture. 
This  laboratory,  also,  has  the  use  of  the  latest  petrographic 
microscopes,  used  constantly  in  making  petrographic  analyses 
and  classifying  the  different  rocks  and  minerals  sent  to  the 
Bureau.  The  laboratory  has  also  all  the  necessary  pulp 
balances,  chemical  balances  and  button  balances  and  a  great 
many  other  things  which  cannot  be  enumerated  here.  To  it 
is  piped  the  necessary  gas  and  water  and  it  is  wired  for  electric 
hot  plates,  ovens1,  etc.,  all  of  which  are  furnished  the  Bureau 
free  of  charge.  Besides  this,  the  Bureau  has  free  use  of  our 
large  crushing,  fine  grinding  and  sampling  room  and  various 
accessary  apparatus  and  the  power  is  furnished  to  the  Bureau 
by  the  College  without  cost.  The  Bureau  also  utilizes  the  assay 
laboratory,  a  room  30  by  60  feet,  with  its  expensive  equip- 
ment including  furnaces  installed  with  the  very  best  crude 
oil  burners  and  compressed  air  system,  together  with  pulp 
balances,  flux  balances  and  the  most  accurate  gold  balances 
obtainable  such  as  are  used  in  the  government  offices  in  Wash- 
ington. A  gas  system,  hoods,  hot  plates,  and  scores  of  smaller 
accessary  equipment  which  are  necessary  for  the  work  of  the 
Bureau  are  here  available. 

The  Bureau  is  also  provided  with  seven  hundred  and  fifty 
square  feet  of  floor  space  for  office  use.  These  offices  with  all 
necessary  furniture  and  a  choice  technical  library  which  has 
been  augmented  from  the  College  Library  fund  with  some 
$500  worth  of  new  books  the  present  biennium  and  which 
no  doubt  will  continue  to  be  added  to  from  year  to  year  as  the 
needs  may  demand,  without  cost  to  the  Bureau.  In  handling 
the  large  amount  of  correspondence  the  College  has  seen  fit 
to  do  considerably  more  than  its  share  in  paying  the  salary  of 
a  stenographer  and  filing  clerk.  The  College  has  also  recog- 
nized the  importance  of  the  work  by  furnishing  a  stronger 
teaching  staff  in  order  to  lighten  the  work  of  the  head  of  the 
department  to  permit  him  to  prosecute  more  efficiently  the 
work  of  the  Bureau. 

The  College  authorities  have  also  approved  in  the  plan  of 
the  Mines  building  our  recommendations  for  a  large  Ceramics 
laboratory  which  occupies  one-half  the  basement  floor  of  the 


REPORT  OF  OREGON  STATE  BUREAU  OF  MINES.  15 

building.  All  necessary  equipment  for  this  laboratory  to  the 
amount  of  between  $5,000  and  $6,000  will  probably  be  installed 
during  the  coming  summer.  This  equipment  will  include  the 
mechanical  apparatus,  such  as  tempering  machines,  molding 
and  washing  machinery,  filter  presses,  grinders,  pug  and 
auger  machines,  for  the  preparation  of  clays  for  brick  and 
terra-cotta  manufacture  and  for!  testing  Portland  cement 
materials.  The  laboratory  will  also  be  equipped  with  up-draft 
kilns,  down-draft  kilns,  Portland  cement  burning  kilns,  electric 
furnaces,  glazing  furnaces,  dryers,  fuel  storage,  dry  presses, 
as  well  as  all  necessary  cabinets,  working  desks,  tables  and 
sinks,  optical  pyrometers  for  very  high  temperatures,  record- 
ing pyrometers,  etc.  This  heavy  requirement  in  fuel  and 
power  will  be  furnished  by  the  College  to  all  of  which  the 
Bureau  has  access  without  additional  cost. 

The  College  is  also  providing  an  ore  testing  laboratory  in 
the  Mines  building  which  occupies  the  northwest  quarter  of 
the  first  floor.  The  equipment  for  this  laboratory  will  also 
be  installed  along  with  the  Ceramics  equipment  at  an  expendi- 
ture of  about  $2,000.  This  laboratory  will  be  used  in  con- 
nection with  the  crushing,  fine  grinding  and  sampling  labor- 
atory before  mentioned,  to  determine  by  tests  of  some  magni- 
tude the  most  efficient  method  of  treatment  of  a  particular  ore 
by  any  of  the  standard  processes  such  as  concentration,  amal- 
gamation, cyanidation,  flotation,  etc. 

RECOMMENDATIONS. 

To  carry  out  the  investigations  as  outlined  and  recom- 
mended above  will  require  a  considerable  appropriation. 

To  make  an  investigation  of  the  clays  of  the  State  will 
require,  at  least,  one  good  reputable  ceramist  and  assistant  to 
aid  him  in  the  laboratory  investigations.  The  salaries  for  the 
two  men  would  be  at  least  $4,000  and  about  $750  would  bo 
required  for  traveling  expenses. 

A  man  to  search  out  the  deposits  suitable  for  building  stone 
and  cement  materials  would  require  $2,500  for  salary  and 
$750  traveling  expenses. 

A  man  should  be  placed  in  the  field  to  investigate  for  coal, 
oil,  gas  and  extent  of  deposits  of  fertilizers  such  as  phosphates 
and  potash  and  the  saline  salts  with  especial  reference  to 
the  lake  region  of  south  central  Oregon  and  to  such  other 
parts  of  the  State  as  the  probabilities  would  warrant.  This 
would  require  about  $3,500  per  year  for  salary  and  traveling 
expenses.  The  Bureau  has  reasons  to  believe  that  these  would 
be  fruitful  fields  for  investigation. 


16  REPORT  OF  OREGON  STATE  BUREAU  OF  MINES. 


There  should  be  at  least  one  good  mining  geologist  and 
assistant  placed  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State  and  the  same 
in  the  western  part  of  the  State  to  investigate  the  precious 
and  base  metal  mining  resources.  The  salaries  for  these  four 
men  would  be  $8,000  and  traveling  expenses  $2,000. 

Laboratory  chemist  and  metallurgist  would  require  a  salary 
of  $1,800;  stenographer  and  assistant  $1,500;  office  and  lab- 
oratory supplies  would  cost  $1,500.  The  cost  of  printing  and 
postage  would  be  at  least  $7,500  and  the  traveling  expenses  of 
the  Director  $1000,  making  a  total  estimated  expense  of 
$34,800. 

With  the  field  force  suggested  above  together  with  their 
necessary  assistant  the  Bureau  could  prosecute  the  work  with 
vigor  and  obtain  results  which  would  give  satisfaction,  not 
only  to  the  people  engaged  in  the  industries,  but  to  those 
utilizing  the  cheapened  products  and  withal  a  source  of  great 
satisfaction  to  those  law  makers  far  sighted  enough  to  enact 
such  efficient  state  building  legislation.  The  whole  question 
resolves  itself  into  one  of  business,  pure  and  simple.  Oregon 
has  during  her  entire  history  neglected  to  find  out  the  extent 
and  variety  of  one  of  her  basic  industries.  Can  she  afford  to 
longer  delay  this  important  piece  of  State  business?  Can  she 
afford  not  to  do  it? 

I  am  informed  that  the  mining  men  of  the  State  through 
the  Oregon  Branch  of  the  American  Mining  Congress  have 
asked  for  an  annual  appropriation  of  $25,000  to  prosecute 
this  work.  In  our  opinion  the  request  is  conservative  and 
really  not  enough  under  our  present  conditions  to  cover  the 
entire  geological  industries  and  get  the  information,  that  we 
so  much  desire,  with  dispatch.  This  amount  might,  however, 
be  sufficient  to  prosecute  the  work  along  the  lines  of  the 
geologic  industries  already  established  but  would  probably 
not  be  enough  to  do  very  much  work  in  encouraging  the 
manufacture  from  those  materials  which  do  not  represent  an 
industry  in  our  State. 

We  are  highly  gratified  to  note  the  interest  that  is  being 
taken  by  these  men  of  the  State  in  promoting  this  cause  and 
to  know  that  so  many  people  all  over  the  State  are  realizing 
the  importance  of  pushing  this  work. 

The  Director  wishes  to  record  his  appreciation  of  the  many 
courtesies  and  material  aid  rendered  him  by  the  producers 
and  engineers  of  the  State  without  which  his  labors  of  the 
first  brennium  would  have  availed  but  little.  With  their  con- 
tinued support  which  will,  without  doubt,  be  rendered  in  the 
future  even  more  heartily  than  in  the  past  and  with  sufficient 


REPORT  OF  OREGON  STATE  BUREAU  OF  MINES.  17 

means  to  permit  the  Bureau  to  prosecute  the  work  with  vigor 
we  know  that  Oregon  will  soon  cease  to  be  a  straggler  in  the 
rear  guard  of  mineral  producers  and  will  take  her  proper 
place  in  the  van.  This  is  my  profound  conviction. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

HENRY  M.  PARKS,  Director. 


18      REPORT  OF  OREGON  STATE  BUREAU  OF  MINES. 


APPENDIX  I. 


A  BILL 

For  an  Act  to  establish  and  create  the  Bureau  to  be  known  as  the  State 
Bureau  of  Mines,  defining  its  objects,  powers  and  duties;  providing 
for  the  appointment  of  a  director,  defining  his  powers  and  duties; 
permitting  co-operation  with  Federal  and  State  Bureaus  in  furthering 
the  objects  of  this  Act,  providing  for  the  publication  of  the  findings 
of  the  Bureau;  providing  for  the  collection  of  exhibits  of  the  natural 
resources  of  the  State;  authorizing  entrance  upon  private  lands  in 
the  prosecution  of  work  of  the  Bureau;  and  making  provisions  for 
the  enforcement  of  this  Act. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  Oregon: 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Legislative  Assemblyof  the  State  of  Oregon: 

Section  1.  That  there  be,  and  is,  hereby  created  and  estab- 
lished a  Bureau  to  be  known  as  the  State  Bureau  of  Mines. 

Section  2.  That  the  said  State  Mining  Bureau  shall  have 
for  its  objects  and  duties  the  following : 

1.  A  study  of  the   State  mineral  resources,  with  especial 
reference  to  their  economic  products,  including  coal,  oil,  gas, 
ores  of  the  different  metals,  fertilizers,  building  stones,  road 
making   materials,   clays,    cement   materials,    sands,    gravels, 
mineral  and  artesian  waters. 

2.  A  more  detailed  study  of  the  road  making  materials  of 
the  State,  with  reference  to  their  character,  distribution  and 
best  methods  of  utilizing  the  same. 

3.  An  investigation  of  the  clays  in  the  State,  with  reference 
to   their   adaptability   for  the  manufacturing  of  brick,   tile, 
pottery,  etc.,  as  well  as  testing  of  all  the  clay  manufactured 
products. 

4.  An  investigation  of  limestones,  clays,  slates  of  the  State, 
to  determine  their  fitness  for  use  as  cement  materials. 

5.  An  investigation  of  fuels  of  the  State,  including  coal,  oil, 
and  gas,  with  reference  to  their  character,  distribution,  and 
methpds  of  utilizing  the  same. 

6.  A  study  of  the  different  ores  of  the  State,  with  especial 
reference  to  their  conservation,  concentration,  and  reduction. 

7.  The  preparation  of  special  reports,  with  necessary  illus- 
trations and  maps1,    which    shall    contain    both    general    and 
detailed  descriptions  of  the  mineral  resources  of  the  State. 

Section  3.  That  the  work  of  the  said  State  Bureau  of 
Mines  shall  be  carried  on  by  the  Department  of  Mines  of  the 
Oregon  State  Agricultural  College,  the  equipment  and  building 
of  the  said  Department  of  Mines  to  be  available  for  the  work 
of  said  State  Bureau  of  Mines  as  herein  provided. 


REPORT  OF  OREGON  STATE  BUREAU  OF  MINES.  19 

Section  4.  That  the  Professor  of  Mining  Engineering  or 
head  of  the  Department  of  Mines  of  said  Oregon  State  Agri- 
cultural College  shall  be  Director  of  the  said  State  Bureau 
of  Mines'. 

Section  5.  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Director  of 
the  State  Bureau  of  Mines  to  organize  and  direct  the  work 
of  the  State  Bureau  of  Mines  in  field  and  office,  to  determine 
the  order,  character,  and  publication,  the  reports  of  the 
Bureau,  and  to  direct  the  preparation,  printing  and  distri- 
bution of  the  same;  to  arrange  for  co-operative  work  with 
various  Federal  and  State  Scientific  Bureaus,  where  such  work 
shall  redound  to  the  interests  of  the  State,  and  to  perform 
such  other  work  as  may  be  necessary  to  carry  out  successfully 
and  speedily  the  work  of  the  survey ;  to  procure  and  have 
charge  of  the  necessary  field  and  office  supplies  and  equipment 
and  supervise  the  acquisition,  care  of  the  distribution  of  the 
collections  of  the  State  Bureau  of  Mines,  and  to  perform 
such  other  work  as  may  be  necessary  to  the  successful  conduct 
of  the  Bureau.  He  shall  prepare  a  report  to  the  Legislature 
before  each  regular  meeting  of  the  same,  setting  forth  the 
progress  and  conditions  of  the  Bureau,  together  with  such 
other  information  as  may  seem  necessary  and  useful. 

Section  6.  That  the  State  Bureau  of  Mines  is  hereby 
authorized  to  enter  into  co-operation  with  any  Federal  or 
State  Scientific  Bureaus,  for  the  prosecution  at  joint  expense, 
of  such  work  in  the  State,  as  shall  be  deemed  of  mutual  interest 
and  advantage,  and  under  such  conditions  as  said  Bureau 
deems  for  the  best  interests  of  the  people  of  the  State. 

Section  7.  That  in  order  to  carry  out  the  provisions  of  this 
Act,  it  shall  be  lawful  for  any  person  employed  hereunder,  to 
enter  and  cross  all  land  within  the  State;  provided,  that  in  so 
doing  no  damage  is  done  to  private  property. 

Section  8.  That  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  out  this  Act, 
the  sum  of  one  thousand  dollars  ($1,000)  or  so  much  thereof 
as  may  be  necessary,  to  be  and  is,  hereby,  appropriated  annu- 
ally, beginning  January  1,  1911,  out  of  any  money  in  the 
State  Treasury  not  otherwise  appropriated. 

Section  9.  That  the  said  appropriation  shall  be  paid 
quarterly  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  Board  of  Regents  of  the  said 
State  Agricultural  College  at  Corvallis,  Oregon,  and  shall  be 
used  solely  for  the  purpose  of  paying  the  current  expenses 
incurred  in  carrying  out  the  provisions  of  this  Act  including 
traveling  expenses  of  those  actually  engaged  in  the  work  of 
the  aforesaid  Bureau,  all  necessary  clerical  and  laboratory 
assistance,  office  supplies  and  expense  of  printing  all  reports  of 
sa'd  Bureau. 


20  REPORT  OF  OREGON  STATE  BUREAU  OF  MINES. 


APPENDIX   II. 


Agreement  for  co-operation  in  statistical  work  between  the 
United  States  Geological  Survey  and  the  Oregon  State  Bureau 
of  Mines. 

In  order  to  avoid  duplication  of  requests  for  statistical 
information  of  mine  and  quarry  operations,  and  also  in  order 
that  the  State  Director  may  be  kept  in  touch  with  the  mineral 
producers  of  the  State,  the  following  agreement  between  the 
State  Director  and  the  Director  of  the  United  States  Geological 
Survey  is  made  for  the  collection  of  the  statistics  of  mineral 
production  (with  the  exception  of  gold,  silver,  copper,  lead, 
and  zinc)  in  1910. 

As  soon  as  possible  after  the  first  of  December  a  numbered 
list  of  the  mineral  producers  in  the  State  of  Oregon  (duplicate 
of  the  list  used  by  the  Federal  Survey)  will  be  sent  to  the 
State  Director,  who  will  check  with  the  data  in  his  office 
and  notify  the  Federal  Survey  of  any  additions  or  corrections. 
These  corrections  will  be  made  on  the  list  of  the  Federal 
Survey,  properly  numbered,  and  the  State  Director  advised 
of  the  number. 

The  blanks  for  the  collection  of  the  statistics  will  be  printed 
at  the  expense  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey  and 
stamped  with  the  statement  that  the  work  is  done  in  co- 
operation with  the  State  Survey.  The  inquiries  will  be  mailed 
from  the  United  States  Geological  Survey,  but  will  contain  a 
franked  envelope  for  the  return  of  the  reply  to  the  State 
Director. 

If  the  State  Director  finds  any  errors  or  omissions  to  correct, 
he  will  retain  the  original  report  and  return  a  copy  to  the 
producer  for  the  necessary  correction,  which  correction  when 
received  by  the  State  Director  will  be  transferred  to  the 
original  report.  The  latter  will  then  be  tabulated  by  him  and 
forwarded  immediately  to  the  Federal  Survey.  The  simply 
of  blanks  for  securing  these  corrections  will  be  furnished  by 
the  Federal  Survey.  If  any  additional  corrections  should  be 
found  necessary  by  the  Division  of  Mineral  Eesources  of  the 
United  States  Geological  Survey,  they  will  be  obtained  by  cor- 
respondence with  the  producers,  and  the  State  Director  will 
be  advised  of  any  changes  resulting  therefrom. 

The  second  and  third  requests  for  information  will  be  pre- 
pared in  the  office  of  the  Federal  Survey  in  the  same  manner 


REPORT   OF  OREGON  STATE  BUREAU  OF  MINES.  21 


as  the  first  requests.  The  fourth  request  will  be  sent  by 
registered  mail  after  all  attempts  to  secure  returns  by  ordinary 
mail  have  been  exhausted.  The  Director  of  the  State  Bureau 
of  Mines  will  undertake  to  secure  the  reports  of  delinquents 
by  personal  visits  of  himself  or  his  assistants. 

Before  any  publication  of  results  is  made,  the  totals  for 
each  subject  will  be  submitted  by  the  State  Director  to  the 
Federal  Survey  for  checking,  and  publication  may  be  made  by 
the  State  Survey  as  soon  as  the  final  figures  are  agreed  upon. 
It  is  understood  that  in  any  preliminary  or  press  notices  thus 
issued  by  either  the  Federal  or  the  State  Survey  credit  for 
the  co-operative  plan  will  be  given. 

H.  C.  RIZER, 
Acting  Director,  United  States  Geological  Survey. 

H.  M.  PARKS. 

Director  Oregon  State  Bureau  of  Mines. 


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